Sens. Graham and McCain visit Baghdad, originally uploaded by grahamfollower.

President Bush will address the nation Thursday night about Iraq. Sen. John McCain wants him to make it a habit.

On a blogger conference call with the Republican presidential candidate this afternoon, I asked McCain what he would say tomorrow night if he were in Bush’s shoes. Before answering my question, McCain told me he would like to see Bush on television once a week — even if C-SPAN was the only station to cover it — talking about the situation on the ground in Iraq. McCain would make it a detailed briefing (presumably with maps and charts) that would give Americans anunderstanding of what was happening.

McCain also told me Bush should acknowledge that mistakes have been made in order for the American people to regain trust in him. Before people accept the fact that U.S. forces are making progress, McCain said they must first hear from Bush that errors were made in the past.

As for the points he’d emphasize tomorrow, McCain said greater emphasis should be placed on the role of Iran’s and Syria’s meddling in Iraq. Both countries have a desire to keep Iraq unstable in order to advance their own interests in the region.

Soren Dayton has an excellent recap of the call and his thoughts about it. Others with posts include Matt Lewis, Jennifer Rubin and Jim Geraghty.